I tried to post this yesterday but it doesn't seem to be displaying properly...

I have a 1997 VW Polo 1.4 CL. The car recently developed a general knocking noise and a whining when in 5th gear. I have since had both front wheel bearings replaced which seems to have just about cured the knocking but not the whining...

The whining is only really noticeable in 5th gear and starts at about 50mph and increases in pitch up until about 70mph. If you take your foot off the accelerator or slip the gearbox into neutral the noise instantly stops which suggests it’s a transmission or gearbox problem?

One other thing I have noticed is that very occasionally (and only on long journeys) the car sometimes ‘jolts’ when going above 50mph and again in 5th gear. This will happen maybe once on a 200 mile journey and then won’t happen again for a month.

I am going to check the gearbox oil tonight and top it up (I already have got the oil) as I did notice a couple or drops on the underside of the gearbox the other day although something tells me this may be a more serious problem with either the gearbox or clutch!?

This is a bit of a nightmare as I do not have the money for expensive repairs and although in pretty good condition the car is only worth about £500!

I would be really grateful for any comments on this and would be quite up for having a crack at any repairs myself if anyone can offer any advice!

Jack

On a separate note does anyone know where I could get hold of a new temperature gauge sensor for the same car? I am currently living in South London if anyone knows somewhere local or if not online?